Tamaki Drive reopens after bad weather cuts off Auckland commuters

Auckland CBD link Tamaki Drive has fully reopened after it was inundated with a king tide and storm conditions this morning.

Commuters were cut off from the city and forced to take alternate routes when Auckland Transport at 7.30am closed the road between Ngapipi Rd and the city side of Hobson Bay.

Traffic in the surrounding suburbs of Remuera and Newmarket was congested and people faced long waits to get into the city.

Traffic builds up on Shore Road after being diverted because of flooding on Tamaki Drive. Photo / Brett Phibbs

This is the second time this year a king tide combined with a storm forcing AT to close the road. In the January 4 storm the road was closed twice in 24 hours.

In September last year, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff announced plans to raise Tamaki Drive in places by half a metre to address king tides and bad weather.

The measures include:

• Raising parts of Tamaki Drive by up to half a metre between Parnell Baths and Ngapipi Rd, where the flooding is most prevalent.

• Adding a curve to the seawall to help deflect waves from breaking on to footpath and Tamaki Drive.

• Installing stormwater valves to reduce the inflow of sea water through the culvert pipes on to the road.

The work, to be undertaken by AT, followed pressure from residents in the eastern suburbs who packed a public meeting on the issue in June.

It also followed a government report into the effects of climate change from the Ministry of the Environment and released by the Green Party that shows 2000km of roads will be affected by climate change.

The report estimates $19 billion of property is at risk from increased flooding and coastal erosion.